Improved car-coupling



w. H. H. CLARK.

Car Coupling.

Patented July 27, 1869;

I iilIniwI gamin pane (tililim.

Letters Patent No. 93,055, datedJu-Iy 27, 1869.

IMPROVED CAR-COUPLING.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. H. CLARK, ofBurlington, in the county of Des Moines, and State of Iowa, haveinvented a new and improved 0: "-O0upling; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, whichwill enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawing, ibrming part of thisspecification.

lhis invention relates to new and useful improvements in car-couplings,intended to combine the buffers and coupling in one device, capable ofautomatic attachment, and calculated to provide a very simple, cheap,and etficient arrangement, as hereinafter-more fully specified.

Figure 1. represents a plan view of the bottom of two cars provided withmy improvements, and coupled together.

Figure 2 represents a partial front cle 'ation of a car having the saidimprovements.

Figure 3 represents a detail view.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

I form notches A in the sides of the buffer-heads, preferably havingright-angular walls at the outer ends a, and curved at the inner ends I)of the said notches.

'Ihese butters are connected to the cars, at their inner ends, bysprings B, preferring elliptical springs for passenger-cars, and coiledsprings for freight-cars.

The, said buffers areplaced between fixed longitudinal bars Q C, whichlimit the lateral movement of the outer ends of the buffers, which arefree to move to a certain extent.

The ends of the bufiers are rounded from the corners opposite thenotches, and so arranged that when the cars are brought together, therounded ends will pass each other, allowing the points of each to fallinto the notch of the other, and thus become coupled together.

Each buffer is provided with a spring, D, at its side opposite thenotches, which springs have a constanttendcncy to keep the hooks lockedtogether, noma-tter how much lateral movement the cars may have ineither direction.

The longitudinal bars G are curved at their front ends, and thedrzuv-bars or butters are correspondingly curved, to aii'ord a lateralsupport to the said draw-bars, as near the ends as possible, and allowthem to recede against the spring when the cars run together. The.

ends of the said bufl'ers strike against the curved walls I) of thenotches, when they arrest the motion of the cars running together.

For uncouplingthesc buffers I provide winding-shafts 1!, with cords orchains attached to them, and arranged to draw them away from each other,and against the springs I).

These wimling-shafts may be arranged to be worked either on the platformor the tops of the cars, or on freight-cars, either side of grain on theground. the place of the said wimling-shafts and chains, levers may beemployed, in amanner well understood.

Having thus described my invention,

\Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The draw-bars A, attached to the springs 13, when provided with thecurved edges in rear of the walls I),

bars are permitted greater lateral play at their front ends, as hereindescribed, for the purpose specified.

WILLIAM H. H. (LARKL \Vitnesses:

B. J. IIALL, A. DUNHAM.

